


We've discovered gold

by DewingedAngel



Category: VIXX
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, Neighbours, Neo established relationship, Polyamory, dash of angst, loads of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DewingedAngel/pseuds/DewingedAngel
Summary: Home is where the heart is.When Sanghyuk moves into a new house, the last thing he expects is to find a home with two of his neighbours.
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk/Jung Taekwoon | Leo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	We've discovered gold

**Author's Note:**

> Hellu! 
> 
> Its the first of a kind, I've never written anything poly and I terribly hope I haven't messed up their dynamics too much :c 
> 
> I'm sort of happy with the outcome, and I hope you will be as well.
> 
> In case I've messed up poly dynamics, phase hmu! I did read about it a lot on the internet, but that's all just in the form of articles and such and not direct input from somebody who knows it and possibly lives it.
> 
> As always, enjoy! 
> 
> Comments and kudos much appreciated ^^

  
  
  


He pats himself down. And then he pats himself down once again, making sure to not miss a single pocket, hidden or otherwise and lets out a string of curses as he realises he doesn't have his keys on him. Shit.

  


Sanghyuk thinks back to the events of the morning. He'd woken up late thanks to having not set an alarm the previous night, had stumbled all over the apartment in an effort to get dressed and stuffed his mouth with bread, grabbed his ID and lanyard, pocketed his phone and wallet and picked his backpack up from the hook next to the main door and shut it.

  


He had shut it.

  


And had most definitely not taken his keys. 

  


Well, shit.

  


He groans as he drops his backpack to the carpeted floor of the corridor outside his apartment and slides down the door, his forehead dragging against the wood. He hits his head on the door for good measure because what the hell sort of an idiot forgets to pick up the goddamn keys that he strategically places right next to his backpack just to make sure nothing of the sort happens. 

  


He wants to blame it on the late night the previous day at work and maybe even the stupid robber who was proving too difficult to catch, but really, it is all his own fault. Stupid, stupid Sanghyuk.

  


He groans again when he realises his spare keys are back in the locker at the station and he's in no position to make a trip back there without maybe passing out on the subway and that doesn't seem entirely too appeasing, especially since working as a detective has made him aware of all sorts of things that could go awry. 

  


He plucks his phone out of the hoodie's pocket and taps on the screen still wondering if it would be a good idea to get to Wonshik's for the night but he stays too fucking far from the station and again, he doesn't want to put himself at peril.

  


Why is this his life? 

  


He rolls his head across the surface of the door side to side and possibly looks deranged to anybody who's looking through the CCTV camera, but he cannot care less. Maybe he should set up camp outside the door. He's about to fluff his backpack into a more comfortable position when he feels like an idiot — which really, considering everything, shouldn't even surprise him anymore — because he knows how to pick locks, damn it. When else is he going to use such knowledge? 

  


Sanghyuk manages to find two old safety pins in his backpack. He doesn't even know what they're doing in there but he cannot be more thankful. He straightens the kinks with a bit of an effort and clamps the flashlight in his mouth to point the single beam of light right into the keyhole. He sets to work.

  


He almost finds the kink and is just about to let it click into place when a hand lands on his shoulder and he screams and — with utmost dignity — falls on his ass. It honestly isn't one of his finest moment. The flashlight thuds to the carpeted floor of the corridor and he looks up to find a man in an impeccable custom made suit peering at him with his hands folded across his chest and a frown on his face. 

  


There is also another man with a mop of shocking pink hair colour hanging off the man in suit's shoulders looking spectacularly haphazard but the man in suit doesn't seem to even notice.

  


"Can I help you?" The man in suit asks, effectively snapping Sanghyuk out of staring at the two men because even his tired and sleep addled brain can manage to register that the two are extremely handsome. Well, he assumes the other man is attractive from the softness of his hair. He's tired. He should be allowed to have a little leeway.

  


"Uh, no thank you. I can manage just fine," Sanghyuk shakes his head and gestures to his door with a hand.

  


"Are you sure?" There's suspicion dripping from every syllable and Sanghyuk frowns. 

  


He realises belatedly what it must look like to any passerby. He's dressed in the worst hoodie on earth that he knows he hasn't washed in a long while and his hair is disheveled and he hasn't slept properly in at least three days — thank you, robber man — and he probably looks more like a robber himself at the moment. He winces.

  


He springs to his feet and shakes his head vehemently. "No, no, I think this is a misunderstanding. I live here," he points to himself and then to the door, possibly looking more like a crazy person. 

  


The man in suit's gaze doesn't even waver when the pink haired man flops onto his shoulder and soft snores start to surround the air between them. He continues to stare and Sanghyuk is frankly a little intimidated. Or a lot. 

  


"I swear I forgot to take my keys with me this morning and now I'm locked out," Sanghyuk says sheepishly.

  


The man still doesn't look like he believes but he considers him for a moment before saying, "If I get any news about trespassing or breaking and entering tomorrow morning, just remember that I know what you look like," and then he's pulling his phone out and somehow managing to click a picture of a dumbfounded Sanghyuk in the same breath and he walks away before Sanghyuk can even protest. 

  


Sanghyuk stares at the man's retreating back with his mouth hanging open.

  


What just happened?

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Hakyeon lets out a breath of relief as he manages to haul Taekwoon onto their bed and changes him out of the ripped jeans and tee he is wearing. He tucks him into the blanket and kisses him on the forehead. He then fills a bottle of water next and places it on the bedside table with a strip of aspirin. 

  


He rolls his shoulders and tries to work out the kink that has settled into his neck at some point over the course of the night. He groans when he catches the spot and decides to wash up before climbing into bed. 

  


He's had an extremely long day at court and he simply wants to fall into the bed and snuggle his way into Taekwoon's chest and not wake up for at least another ten hours, but it's already past midnight and he has a meeting with a client about some embezzlement case at eight and he'd call himself lucky if he even gets six hours of sleep which itself seems like a stretch considering he needs to be at the office at seven. He sighs. 

  


He quickly washes up and decides to forego a bath in favour of eating some of the leftover fried rice from the morning. He puts the dishes away in the sink to wash in the morning when he remembers the man from next door — or a robber, he still cannot decide if the man was being truthful. At least, the man is cute.

  


Pinching his forehead he walks to the door and pulls it open to see if the man is still outside but the corridor is empty and he breathes a sigh of relief. At least he doesn't feel guilty about letting the man sleep outside. 

  


Hakyeon locks the door and stumbles into the bedroom and climbs in beside Taekwoon and curls into his chest, soaking in all the warmth from him and snuggling in closer.

  


Taekwoon shifts and pulls him in even more. It's probably more of a reflex at this point, and Hakyeon closes his eyes and promptly falls asleep.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk trudges into the apartment building with his shoulders slumped and backpack clutched to his chest. He's extremely tired but at least, he and his partner managed to crack a stalking case and had the perpetrator behind bars, so he feels a little accomplished. The trial was yet to take place, but small miracles. it's late and he just wants to drop into his bed. 

  


The elevator dings as it reaches the ground floor and the doors slide open to let out two people and he nods politely to the two before stepping into it the elevator car and presses the button to his floor. He leans back against the far wall and waits for the doors to close when a hand slips in between the almost closed doors and honestly, it's a little bit like a scene from a horror movie he watched not too long ago and the doors open once again to let another person in.

  


Sanghyuk recognises him as the man in suit from almost two weeks ago and he tries to make himself as inconspicuous as possible but he's not sure he succeeds because the man turns to him with an apologetic smile and then promptly does a double take and really, it only serves to make Sanghyuk that much more self conscious.

  


And the fact that the man is dressed to the nines in another impeccable suit and is carrying a fucking leather briefcase really isn't helping his case. Sanghyuk feels like a high schooler in comparison with his backpack and shabby clothes. He doesn't like wearing his uniform home but he feels like he should be doing just that to not feel so out of place in the presence of this man.

  


The man in suit pastes a tentative smile on his face and turns to face him. "I guess you really do live here, then," 

  


Sanghyuk nods and tries to smile back but he probably ends up grimacing, so he ducks his head and mutters, "I do,"

  


The man laughs and Sanghyuk lifts his head back up in surprise because wow, the man sounds like a fucking angel when he laughs. And somehow, all the tension between the two has simply dissipated. 

  


"I'm sorry for the other day," the man scratches at the back of his neck but there is still a small smile playing on his face. "I probably came off as an extremely rude person, but I was really tired and Taekwoon wasn't helping my case. I guess I'm just a little too careful," he shrugs.

  


Sanghyuk shakes his head and smiles back. "That's alright. It doesn't hurt to be careful. And I do understand why you might have misunderstood," he gestures to his clothes awkwardly.

  


"I should have still checked, though," the man looks at him sheepishly. "I'm Hakyeon, by the way," he offers his hand. 

  


Sanghyuk grips the hand and marvels at the warmth and the strength in the handshake. "Sanghyuk," 

  


"Did you start living here recently?" Hakyeon asks.

  


"I did, yes. I must have moved about two weeks ago," Sanghyuk sighs when he remembers all the boxes he's yet to unpack but hasn't had the time to. 

  


"Ah, I see,"

  


Silence settles over them and Sanghyuk is saved from trying to revive the conversation when the elevator reaches their floor and the doors slide open.

  


He gestures for Hakyeon to step out first, which he does after throwing him the most brilliant smile he's ever seen and Sanghyuk is suddenly thankful he's behind the man because he's positive there must be a flush to his cheeks. They're most definitely warm. 

  


He shakes his head and walks down the corridor when Hakyeon calls out, "This is me. I'll see you around, Sanghyuk. It was very nice meeting you,"

  


"You too," Sanghyuk manages to mutter before he shuts himself in his home and slides down the door with his back to it and buries his head in his hands. 

  


Shit, the man is really, really pretty.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Hakyeon hums to himself as he toes off his shoes in the entranceway and places them in their spot in the shoe rack. The light is on in the apartment. Taekwoon must be home. Picking the briefcase back up, he walks into the living room and finds Taekwoon lounging across the couch, munching on some seaweed crackers. He's got a folder of papers propped up across his chest. 

  


"Hello, love," he moves to press a kiss to Taekwoon's mouth and steals the cracker in his hand and dances away before Taekwoon can realise it.

  


"Hey!" A cry of indignation makes its way towards him but he simply smiles and sends a flying kiss in the general direction of Taekwoon.

  


"How was work?" Taekwoon asks as he slides a hand across Hakyeon's waist and props his chin on his head. 

  


Hakyeon leans in. "Good. Got a lot of work done for that embezzlement case. I still hate the client, though. The man is a nightmare to work with. And I met someone today," 

  


"At work?"

  


"No, in the elevator," 

  


Taekwoon frowns. "What?" 

  


Hakyeon chuckles as he extricates himself from Taekwoon's hold to freshen up and moves into the bedroom. "Our neighbour, actually. Sanghyuk. A few days ago I'd mistaken him for a burglar. I may have accused him too. But I apologised," 

  


"Oh, Hakyeon. Why would you accuse someone of that?" Taekwoon trails into the bedroom behind him and plops onto the bed. He doesn't bother mentioning he has already met the man. He'd helped with carrying some boxes in when the man, being too tall, hit his head in the doorway and Taekwoon had been coming back from practise.

  


"That wasn't my fault. I was tired and you were drunk and he was picking the locks. What was I supposed to think?" He frowns as he looks at the laundry hamper. It's full. "It was your turn for the laundry. Why haven't you done it yet?" 

  


Taekwoon shrugs. "I didn't have the time. And don't you think I cannot see you changing the subjects,"

  


Hakyeon props a hand up on his waist. "What do you mean you didn't have the time? It isn't rocket science. It takes all of ten minutes to load the machine. I'm not asking you to wash the clothes by hand," 

  


"Okay, fine. I forgot. I'll do it tomorrow,"

  


Hakyeon shakes his head. He picks up the dirty clothes and thrusts them at Taekwoon. "Go do it now. I'll take a shower in the mean time. Did you have dinner yet?"

  


Taekwoon groans but stands up. "No, I was waiting for you,"

  


Hakyeon sighs. "It's so late, Taek. Don't wait up for me," he cups his cheek and squeezes. "I don't want you falling sick or fainting again," 

  


Taekwoon scowls. "That was because of appendicitis. Not because of not eating on time," 

  


"Yes, yes," Hakyeon pecks his cheek, pats his butt and walks away to the bathroom. He doesn't point out that Taekwoon's appendicitis was only because of all the junk food he eats to keep his hunger at bay for Hakyeon's arrival. "Get it done quickly,"

  


"I hate you," 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk is surprised to be coming back home at a decent time for once and is even more surprised when he finds a small basket lying at his doorstep. It's covered with a soft pink satin cloth and even has a bow at one corner. 

  


He bends to pick it up and marvels at the smell that emanates from it. He can tell its cookies. But he's unsure what it's doing at his doorstep. Maybe somebody got the wrong door? That is the only plausible explanation.

  


He stands in the corridor and looks at the five other apartments that are on his floor but he doesn't know anybody but Hakyeon and the man who had helped him when he was still moving in, so he silently unlocks his door and places the basket on the kitchen counter.

  


When he's freshened up, he walks up to it and decides to at least look for any form of signature on it. Lifting the satin, he finds a note placed carefully to one side and he unfolds it.

  


His mouth falls open promptly. 

  


_ Dear Sanghyuk _

_ This is a housewarming gift from Taekwoon and I, and a sort of apology from my side because Taekwoon won't shut up about how rude I was. And since Taekwoon doesn't want to stop peeking over my shoulder, here's a message to you. Fuck you, Taekwoon. Now shoo and let me write my note in peace. _

_ I'm sorry about that, Sanghyuk.  _

_ I trust you have been well.  _

_ I would have come with Taekwoon to give the basket of cookies personally, but my work is very demanding and as much as I can tell, so is yours and I'm not sure our timings match very much. Taekwoon is rather free anyway, right now. I hope he wasn't too annoying.  _

_ Right. I'll see you sometime soon, I hope.  _

_ \- CHY _

  


Sanghyuk almost reads a little too much in between the lines and scolds himself for hoping at all. He feels very bad imagining Taekwoon — assuming he's the man with pink hair —standing at his door and knocking and finally giving up and putting the basket down. He also wonders about their relationship, and if they truly are just roommates, they seem to have a very interesting dynamic.

  


He also cannot decide if he's lucky or not for having not seen Hakyeon in at least a fortnight. But he isn't a fan of being absolutely tongue tied, so he decides on the former. 

  


There's a smaller note in a different writing at the bottom of Hakyeon's. 

  


_ I waited for a while, but I'm guessing you aren't home yet. I'll meet you another time.  _

_ PS I helped you with boxes when you were moving in. _

_ \- JTW _

  


Sanghyuk feels worse about Taekwoon having waited for him. He's stressing about it and he has a bad habit of eating under stress and he isn't even sure how, but almost the entire basket of cookies are gone by the time he notices and he immediately berates himself. 

  


He putters around the house and searches for a piece of paper and a pen and sets about writing an answering note.

  


_ Dear Hakyeon _

_ Thank you so much for the cookies. It wasn't necessary at all, but I appreciate it all the same. They were delicious. I had not known I had such an appetite for cookies. They were that good. I had also, surprisingly, met Taekwoon before I did you. He'd helped me with some boxes when I was moving, but he did not have pink hair back then. And I didn't realise it was the same person. _

_ I have been good, yes. Work is very tiring but it's also extremely rewarding. I work as a detective and some of the cases just drain too much out of me.  _

_ How have you been doing?  _

_ I'll think of a way to pay you back for your kindness.  _

_ Thank you once again. _

_ \- Sanghyuk _

  


He folds the note up and decides to leave it with Taekwoon the next morning before leaving for the station.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Taekwoon blearily trudges to the front door, silently cursing the shit out of the person ringing the doorbell. It's much too early in the morning and he only just fell back asleep after Hakyeon left for an early morning summon in the court. He thinks Hakyeon works too much but the man simply doesn't listen. 

  


He clutches the blanket closer around his body, trying to keep the warmth from seeping out of the edges and the cracks. He's still in the process of damning the person at the door to the seventh level of hell — he's not sadistic enough to wish the ninth level yet — and his thoughts skid to a halt when his eyes fall upon the person. 

  


"Hello, you must be Taekwoon. I hadn't known you were the one who'd helped me that day," A man grins up at Taekwoon and his mind is still too sluggish to register much of anything. 

  


"Oh," he mutters when he realises it's their new neighbour. "Oh, your name is Sanghyuk," he says dumbly.

  


Sanghyuk laughs sheepishly. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I thought nine wasn't too early,"

  


"Nine is early when you sleep at four," Taekwoon grumbles and shrugs the blanket closer. His mind is starting to clear and he finally notices the attire on Sanghyuk. 

  


Sanghyuk is wearing a perfectly tailored uniform and his hair is neatly combed away from his forehead and he looks stunning. "You're an officer," he remarks.

  


Sanghyuk nods. "I am. I'm a detective, actually," 

  


Taekwoon steps away from the threshold and gestures him inside and closes the door behind him. "I can't see why Hakyeon would mistake you to be a burglar, still," 

  


"That would be my fault for having dressed like a homeless person," Sanghyuk blushes slightly and ducks his head. "I came to give you my thanks, actually," 

  


"Thanks?" Taekwoon frowns.

  


"Yes, for the cookies. And I'm sorry you had to wait. I had come back home earlier than usual, but I guess ten isn't exactly early," 

  


"Oh no, that's alright," Taekwoon waves a hand as he plops down into the cushions of the couch and motions for Sanghyuk to do the same. "Did you like them?"

  


"Embarrassingly so. I finished the lot last night without even realising it," Sanghyuk admits as he sits.

  


"Oh, that's great! I have more!" 

  


"Oh, no. I couldn't trouble you," 

  


"Nonsense," Taekwoon shuts him up. "Hakyeon complains too much about watching his weight and how cookies are not healthy. He still eats them, mind you. So if you're actually enjoying them, I'd rather give them to you. Hakyeon is such a bitch about things like this," 

  


"But he's fit," Sanghyuk finds himself saying and he immediately wants to run out of the place. What the hell?

  


"He is," Taekwoon nods sagely, "but he's still an idiot who doesn't know how to have fun. Well," he trails off giving Sanghyuk a look, "seeing as your schedule is just as messed up as his is, I might think you don't know how to, either," 

  


"That's not fair. My work takes away all my time," 

  


Taekwoon sighs, "That's exactly the case with Hakyeon. He's too busy. He should take some time off when he can, but no, work is always his priority. You know what?" he shakes his head, "I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this,"

  


Sanghyuk wonders what exactly that means and if it means what he thinks it means but smartly decides to shut up before he asks about something he shouldn't really be privy to. "I'm sorry but its getting late and I need to get to work," he stands.

  


Taekwoon looks surprised but he nods anyway. "Of course," he says with resignation as he stands to see Sanghyuk off at the door. 

  


Sanghyuk is almost out of the door when he remembers, "Oh," he pulls out a neatly folded note from the inside of his breast pocket and brandishes it, "can you please give this to Hakyeon?"

  


Taekwoon takes it and nods at the note, "What is it?"

  


"It's a reply to his note from yesterday. I'm not sure when I'll be seeing him again, so I thought it best to send a note through you," 

  


Taekwoon accepts the note. "That's sweet of you," he smiles.

  


Sanghyuk smiles once before he's gone down the corridor and Taekwoon carefully considers the note before deciding the place it on the bedside table in the bedroom. He's got auditions for a musical later in the day and he's quite excited about the role he might get to play. 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Living in the same apartment complex really doesn't warrant meeting a neighbour on a daily basis. 

  


Sanghyuk meets Hakyeon in the elevator more often than he does picking up the mail or doing something equally mundane, where they smile and catch up on what they might have missed out on even with the notes they pass each other daily. There are times when their schedules don't match, but slipping a note everyday has become a sort of routine for the two and Sanghyuk strangely finds himself looking forward to it every morning. He's also started to keep all the notes stashed in a box that he's hidden in his closet. 

  


He meets Taekwoon more often than he does Hakyeon. But that isn't strange, considering Taekwoon has considerably flexible timings. They drink coffee together in the evenings some nights when Taekwoon complains of how empty his house is without Hakyeon, or how he's just lonely at times. Dinner with Taekwoon is something that has started recently. He still isn't sure what to feel about that.

  


What leaves him confused is how Taekwoon cannot hold one conversation without mentioning Hakyeon and Hakyeon cannot write him one note without talking about what Taekwoon says. He desperately wants to know what they are to each other.

  


The absolute worst, however, is when he cannot understand why and how he can simultaneously feel happy and sad and guilty and want, too, when he talks to either of them.

  


He's not blind. He knows just how attractive the two of his neighbours are. He's also aware enough of his sexuality to know he's not exactly straight. 

  


He just doesn't know what it means to somehow feel attracted to two people at the same time.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Taekwoon shuffles his way to the door at the ringing of the doorbell and pulls it open readily, having been waiting for the takeout for a while.

  


"Jung Taekwoon?" The delivery girl asks, reading from a receipt.

  


"Yes," he replies and takes the boxes of Styrofoam she hands over to him. "I'll pay online," he says and does the same. 

  


His stomach is grumbling and he was just too lazy to cook. And he ordered too much. Maybe. Or not. Five boxes for one person isn't that much.

  


He's struggling to pull his way back into the confines of his apartment where nobody is there to judge but himself — Hakyeon is still at work, of course. But it's only seven, so it's pretty early anyway — when two of the boxes disappear from his hands and he cries, "Hey!"

  


Sanghyuk stands there with the takeout in his hands and honest-to-God giggles. "Hello. Can I help you carry them in?"

  


Taekwoon considers his options. Risk dropping some of the precious food to the floor, or take the help of his uniformed neighbour. "Fine," he grudgingly accepts the help. "I could have done it myself, but if you insist," he shrugs.

  


Sanghyuk raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

  


Taekwoon wonders if that counts as flirting, and because that thought makes him feel uncomfortable, he decides it's not. "Yes. Now bring my food in," he walks inside and places the food on the dining table. 

  


Sanghyuk follows him in and does the same. "Is Hakyeon home?" 

  


Taekwoon shakes his head, already digging for some cutlery. "No, but he'll be home soon. He said he's on his way back from the courtroom, actually. Why do you ask?"

  


"I thought the food was for the two of you," Sanghyuk replies, pointing to all the boxes. 

  


"He's already had his food. Chamber dinner. Wait," he turns to face Sanghyuk with a hand on his hip and a fork and knife in the other, waggling it at him, "You think I'm eating too much,"

  


Sanghyuk puts his hands up and backs away. "No, no,"

  


"Don't lie to me," Taekwoon frowns. 

  


"Okay, so I thought this food was enough for two people. No big deal if you want to eat it all," 

  


"I'm on a diet," Taekwoon mumbles, even as he decides to ignore the jab and plates the food. 

  


"A diet?" Sanghyuk asks incredulously.

  


Taekwoon throws him a death glare. "You better run before I decide to use this fork to stab,"

  


"You're threatening a police officer. And I doubt Hakyeon would be allowed to argue your case," 

  


Taekwoon waggles his fork in his direction.

  


Sanghyuk laughs again. "Okay, I'm sorry. Eat as much as you want to,"

  


"You don't have to tell me that," 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk rolls around on the couch, bored of flipping through the channels. Why does he even have cable when there is nothing worth watching on it anyway? He is wasting precious money on absolute shit. 

  


His gaze slips to the wall clock above the television. It's only six in the evening. He shouldn't have taken a day off. But his arm is still sore from all the abrasions he'd gotten on the entirety of his left arm and a part of his left leg catching up to a pedophile who had flashed to at least twenty children in the past few weeks and his chief told him to take it easy for a few days. 

  


He grabs his phone and shoots a text to Wonshik.

  


_ I'm bored _

_ Wyd _

_ Sanghyuk 6:04 pm _

  


He curses at his phone when its ten minutes past and there's no reply yet. That can only mean that Wonshik is too occupied to notice the message. 

  


He's still rolling around the couch when a strange smell emanates into the living room through the balcony door that he'd thrown open for fresh air. It smells like a mixture of something sweet and something definitely burnt. And then there's a sound of heavy vessels clattering to the floor and loud curses. 

  


Sanghyuk frowns. 

  


The only source of the sounds should be from Hakyeon and Taekwoon's apartment, but he remembers Taekwoon saying he has rehearsal till at least eight in the evening, and Hakyeon's latest note is still lying open on the coffee table in front of him.

  


_ Dear Sanghyuk  _

_ I don't know why knowing my favourite colour would be helpful, but it is red. Taekwoon says it should be black, because he says it's something about my eyes. I'm not sure. Now, I'm curious about yours. _

_ I've been working on a case of domestic violence recently. The woman is absolutely wrecked and her husband is a bastard. I wish to win her the case. She's looking for an annulment, but there are certain discrepancies with the prenups and I'm trying to work through a loop hole so she doesn't end up with nothing after the annulment. It's been tiresome.  _

_ Tell me, have you managed to find anymore clues as to the murder weapon from that case you were talking about? It's strange that somebody died of what seems like pinpricks. Could it be acupuncture needles? Interesting. _

_ Taekwoon says you're coming back home at decent times. That's a good thing. I think I should be able to take a break after this case. I want a getaway.  _

_ I also wish I could speak to you in person, rather than to speak through notes.  _

_ I hope to see you soon. _

_ \- CHY _

  


The burnt smell only gets stronger by the minute and he decides to investigate. 

  


He grabs his keys and locks his door before ambling up next door and knocking. It's a while before somebody curses and rushes to the door.

  


The door opens to reveal Hakyeon looking absolutely messy. He's still dressed in his suit with his coat removed, except it's not so pristine anymore. There's what seems to be flour sticking to the apron as well as to the sleeves of his dress shirt. His hair looks like he's been running his hand through it for a long time and his face is distraught, his lips trembling and eyes big.

  


"Are you alright?" Sanghyuk cannot help but wonder out loud.

  


Hakyeon peers at the corridor and shakes his head, stepping away from the door and gestures him inside. 

  


"No," Hakyeon repeats. "Good lord. I'm not alright and it's almost half past six and Taekwoon is going to be home soon. Oh God, what do I do, Sanghyuk?" 

  


Sanghyuk almost faints as he steps into the house that is usually so clean and fresh but the air is now sooty and the smell of burnt food lingers heavily. "Were you trying to cook?"

  


Hakyeon looks up from where he's holding his head between his palms and his expression is absolutely wrecked. "Yes," he whispers, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just, I really wanted to cook today, you know? I haven't been spending time with Taekwoon much and I know he's drifting away. I can feel it. And it's all my fault. I just wanted to do something, anything to try to fix it. But I'm only making it worse, aren't I? Sanghyuk, this," he looks around the house and falls into the couch. "This is a mess. What am I going to do? He's going to le—,"

  


Sanghyuk steps up and places his hands on Hakyeon's shoulders and shakes him slightly. "Do you want me to help?"

  


Hakyeon looks up with his mouth fallen open. "You'll help?"

  


Sanghyuk nods. "Well, I'm not too much of a cook, but I can at least help clean up? We should do something before the fire alarm starts to ring. I'm surprised it hasn't already,"

  


Hakyeon cracks a tiny smile. "That would be because I disabled it," he shrugs.

  


"That's illegal," Sanghyuk waggles his finger, relieved now that some of the tension seems to have eased away.

  


"Oh, arrest me, officer," Hakyeon sticks his tongue out and sobers up quickly. "Alright. I think I'll start all over again. I still have some of the cake batter left. And I'm sure the oven is heated enough now. I'll make sure to time it correctly. And food, well, I'm sure we can do something,"

  


Sanghyuk is secretly glad for the distraction because he isn't sure how to respond to Hakyeon's flirty response. He's been extremely confused the past few weeks as it is. Taekwoon seems to flirt with him now and then, and Hakyeon's notes are borderline flirty too. And he still isn't sure about the relationship between the two. He cannot simply go and ask if they're dating or if they're just friends who are roommates. And his heart is in a little bit of a dilemma. Because he thinks he likes both of them. But how can that be? 

  


He decides to grab the broomstick and dustpan first and sweeps away all the mess from the smoke. He also throws open all the windows to make sure the stagnant air moves out and is replaced by fresh air instead. By the time he's done, the house is starting to smell much better. 

  


Hakyeon is in the process of rinsing out the last of the burnt vessels when he steps into the kitchen and sits himself down at the island. "Can I help you with any of the cooking?"

  


Hakyeon shakes his head. "No. I think I was in too much of a hurry and tried to do too many things at the same time. I was also thinking too much. I've decided to do the thinking later and focus on cooking for now,"

  


Sanghyuk smiles at him, "Was something bothering you?"

  


Hakyeon takes his time to place a new sauce pan on the stove, pours in some olive oil to heat it up and tosses the chopped onions in and sautés them with some salt. He then throws in some of the sliced peppers and turns to Sanghyuk.

  


Hakyeon takes a deep breath and folds his arms across his chest and meets Sanghyuk's eyes. "Taekwoon and I, it's our fifth anniversary today," 

  


Sanghyuk draws in a sharp breath. His chest aches at the realisation that he was right to not have done anything about his attraction to either of the men. That would have been disastrous. "That's a long time. Congratulations," he says with a smile, even when the pang in his chest grows. 

  


Hakyeon sends him a smile that's equally pained. "I'm worried it'll not be any longer than five years," 

  


Sanghyuk frowns. "What do you mean?" 

  


Hakyeon shakes his head and turns back to the stir fry he's making. "That's a question for Taekwoon. I told you, didn't I? He's drifting away,"

  


Sanghyuk remains silent. It isn't his place to comment, even if the expression on Hakyeon's face is heartbreaking.

  


When Sanghyuk trudges back to his own apartment later, he falls into his bed and curls into a ball, completely unsure of why his heart is aching so much.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Taekwoon glances at his wristwatch and sighs. It's later than he thought. His cast mates had wanted to grab some dinner and drinks outside and he was dragged along. He digs in his coat pocket for the house keys and is pleasantly surprised when the door is unlocked.

  


He remembers Hakyeon mentioning something about coming home early at breakfast, but he had only hummed and dismissed it as nothing but empty words from him. He's had a long time to come to terms with Hakyeon trying to but not actually making it home on time, after all.

  


He pushes his way in, locks the door and drops his bag on the couch before heading into the dining room where the lights are on. And then he promptly stops dead in his tracks. 

  


The dining table is set up beautifully. There's a vase in the middle holding flowers he really couldn't care about the name of, a cake with a single unlit candle standing tall, three dishes of food and two plates on the opposite corners. The light has been dimmed for ambience, he supposes. 

  


Hakyeon is no where to be seen.

  


He walks over to pick up a single rose that has been placed on top of a note and his heart stops beating altogether at the words. His fingers trace a mark of a tear next to the signature.

  


_ Happy Anniversary, Taekwoon. _

_ Would you want to spend another year with me? Or would you want to be set free, after all? _

_ Yours Always _

_ Hakyeon _

  


The note slips from his trembling hands and he curses. He rushes out of the dining room and scours every room but comes up empty. Hakyeon isn't there. 

  


He flies back into the kitchen and pushes open the door to the balcony and breathes a sigh of relief when he finds Hakyeon in one of the two plush chairs, curled up under the moonlight, his face pillowed against his hands and dried up tracks of tears curling all the way around the jut of his jaw. 

  


Taekwoon falls to his knees in front of Hakyeon's sleeping form and takes a deep breath before cupping his face. "Hakyeon," he calls.

  


Hakyeon stirs and opens his eyes, and then promptly closes them again. 

  


Taekwoon let's his head fall onto Hakyeon's shoulder. "Hakyeon," he says again.

  


Hakyeon moves to sit up without displacing his head. 

  


"I'm so sorry, I'd forgotten," Taekwoon grumbles and gets up, sticking a hand out for Hakyeon to take and pulls the both of them to their feet. He then pushes Hakyeon back into their home and closes the balcony door. 

  


Hakyeon looks at the clock. It's well past midnight. He throws a glance towards the dining table and sighs as he slinks into their bedroom. 

  


Taekwoon catches up and grabs Hakyeon's wrist. "Hakyeon," he turns him around and places his hands on his shoulders instead. "Look at me,"

  


Hakyeon shudders before he does. 

  


"I really am sorry. It slipped my mind. I would have been home earlier otherwise. You know that, don't you?" 

  


Hakyeon's silence speaks volumes. 

  


Taekwoon sighs and pushes him to the bed, and kneels at the foot of it in front of him. He grabs Hakyeon's hands in his and rubs his thumbs along his hand in soothing patterns. "Why did you write that note?" he asks quietly after a while.

  


Hakyeon startles visibly at the question. "You didn't come home," he whispers.

  


Taekwoon frowns. "You knew I had practise,"

  


"I thought you left. I thought you didn't want to come back home," Hakyeon's voice cracks.

  


Taekwoon immediately cups Hakyeon's face and chases the silent tears that begin to fall out of his eyes, the frown deepening. "Hakyeon. What makes you think I'll leave? I'm confused,"

  


"It's because I'm not giving us too much time, isn't it?" Hakyeon looks up.

  


"What?"

  


"You don't love me anymore because I'm working too much," Hakyeon states. "And I know it's my fault. It's okay. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. It's okay if you want to leave,"

  


"Hakyeon," Taekwoon tries to catch his attention, but it doesn't work. He gets up from the floor and sits next to Hakyeon. "Hakyeon, listen to me," 

  


Hakyeon lays his head on Taekwoon's shoulder. 

  


"I love you, Hakyeon. I've loved you for a very long time, and that isn't going to change. It doesn't matter if you work too much. It doesn't. Because I know how much your work means to you, and your happiness is all I want. Will you stop being so sad?"

  


"You're not lying to me, are you?"

  


Taekwoon huffs out a laugh. "You're a barrister. Would you not know if I'm lying?" 

  


Hakyeon squawks and hits him on the arm. 

  


They fall quiet for a while, just soaking in each other's company. 

  


Hakyeon is still half lying on top of Taekwoon's shoulder when he intertwines their fingers and clears his throat. "You like Sanghyuk, don't you?" Even though he poses it as a question, it isn't really one. He already knows the answer to that.

  


Taekwoon startles. He takes a deep breath. "I do. He's been there when I feel lonely. He's a good man. But I don't love him," he gives in, deciding there isn't any point in keeping secrets.

  


"Yet," Hakyeon supplies and pulls away from Taekwoon to look into his eyes. "You don't love him yet, but you might one day," he completes knowingly.

  


Taekwoon peers back. "It's not what you're thinking. I still love you, Hakyeon. Nothing and nobody is going to change how I feel about you. I just," he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I didn't think I'd feel attracted to someone else when I already have everything I've ever wanted. I'm equally confused,"

  


Hakyeon sits himself on his knees on the bed and pulls Taekwoon's head and cradles it to his chest. "It's okay,"

  


Taekwoon shakes his head. "No. You don't get it. I feel so guilty every time I see him lately, but I can't stop myself. And then I feel like I need to bleach myself before I touch you again because it's not supposed to be like this. I shouldn't be feeling like this," he still remembers the hurt that flashed across Hakyeon's face the pervious week when he'd pulled away from a kiss. "I'm not cheating on you,"

  


"I know," Hakyeon replies quietly. 

  


"I've hurt you, haven't I? Over the past few weeks?" Taekwoon looks into Hakyeon's eyes.

  


"I — yes, you have," Hakyeon mumbles. "I thought it was my fault. I thought you were acting so distant because of me. Because you just didn't love me anymore," 

  


"I'm so sorry, Hakyeon. I really am. It's not your fault," Taekwoon cups Hakyeon's face and leans in to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

  


Hakyeon sighs as he shrugs in closer and they fall into bed, curl around each other, and fall asleep.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Hakyeon finds himself looking up various things online after his talk with Taekwoon. He finds that he has been unaware of a lot of things relating to human psychology. It's been enlightening. 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk stares at the note in his hand. He's not entirely sure he's reading the words right. 

  


No way.

  


It can't be.

  


Hakyeon did not really say he'd like to go on a date with him. 

  


No.

  


He's reading it wrong.

  


It's his wishful thinking that's presenting itself that way.

  


No.

  


Just — no.

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


"Did you know that humans are not inherently monogamous," Hakyeon comments as he places his briefcase on the coffee table and moves to kiss Taekwoon on the cheek. 

  


"What?" Taekwoon mumbles, most of his attention trained on his phone. The schedule for the musical has been put up in their group chat and he's in the process of sending Hakyeon an email to clear out time for the opening night as always. Hakyeon tends to remember through email best.

  


"I said, humans aren't necessarily monogamous. It's apparently very much natural for us to love many people at the same time," Hakyeon explains as he pulls his coat neatly across his body. "It's how we can love so many people at the same time. Like with family and friends,"

  


Taekwoon looks up at that. "Where are you going with this?" he asks warily, sliding his phone back into his pocket, the email sent.

  


"I'm saying that it's also romantically held to be true," Hakyeon replies chirpily. "It's okay for you to be attracted Sanghyuk, too. It's just inherent human nature," 

  


Taekwoon gets up from the couch and moves closer to Hakyeon. "I thought we were done with that,"

  


Hakyeon nods and them smiles up at him. "We cannot ignore something you're feeling. I want you to be happy, Taekwoon," he leans in to press another kiss to his cheek and looks into his eyes. "I love you,"

  


Taekwoon frowns. "Why are you acting like this is okay when I can see just how strained your smile is?"

  


Hakyeon's smile drops and he lets his hand fall to his chest. "Because I love you. And because I want you to be happy,"

  


Taekwoon grabs his wrist. "I  _ am _ happy. With you. And I really, really love you, Hakyeon,"

  


"I know that," Hakyeon says. "I know that. I do. But there's this what if that's been nagging at me for weeks now, Taek. What if this will make you happier? What if this is something you need? What if this'll be good for us?"

  


"Hakye—," 

  


"I just want you to think about it. That's all. Can you do that for me?" Hakyeon asks with a smile. "Please?"

  


Taekwoon sighs, but he nods. "For you, anything,"

  


"Thank you," Hakyeon pats Taekwoon's chest. "I need to go, now. Bye. See you in the evening,"

  


Taekwoon nods back, still silent. 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk stares at the elevator doors and waits for them to open quickly. He's been waiting for Hakyeon. He's read the previous note a few hundred times, and he's still just as lost as he was the first time. And he's at his wit's end. 

  


It's another fifteen minutes later when they open, and Sanghyuk flies across the corridor to ambush Hakyeon right at the entrance.

  


"Sanghyuk," Hakyeon gasps out when he stumbles and grasps his biceps to steady himself. The elevator doors close behind him. "Hi,"

  


Sanghyuk stares at him. Hi? Is that all he had to say?

  


"Can I go?" Hakyeon gestures towards the general direction of his home. 

  


"No," Sanghyuk shakes his head. 

  


"No?"

  


"No, not before you tell me what the hell you mean by this," he brandishes the note and thrusts it at Hakyeon.

  


Understanding dawns across Hakyeon's face. "Ah. It's just as it says. I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me," he shrugs.

  


Sanghyuk continues to stare with his mouth hanging open. "That doesn't make sense," he shakes his head vehemently. "You're in a relationship with Taekwoon, and no matter how attracted I may be to you, I'm not going to commit a crime,"

  


Hakyeon's eyes almost jump out of his sockets. "You're attracted to me?"

  


Sanghyuk groans. "That's not the point,"

  


Hakyeon waggles his index finger and then pokes him in the chest with it. "It is very much the point. I was asking you on a date only because I haven't exactly spent too much time with you face to face. And I want to see why it is that Taek likes you so much,"

  


Sanghyuk closes his mouth. Shit. He should have just shut up about the attraction part. But then something strikes him. What does it matter why Taekwoon likes him? It's not as if either of them are going to date him. "I'm confused,"

  


"Well, of course you are. But I'd rather we talk about this after Taekwoon is ready to. I don't want to keep anything from him,"

  


"That's the vaguest answer ever," Sanghyuk frowns. "And I work with criminals. No wonder you are a lawyer,"

  


Hakyeon laughs. He pulls away from Sanghyuk. "Good night, Sanghyuk,"

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


"There's something wrong with your boyfriend," Sanghyuk mentions as he unlocks the mailbox and pulls out his bills. He hates bills. He hates the dent they put in his wallet.

  


"Tell me about it," Taekwoon sighs as he does the same. 

  


It's Sunday routine for them to get their mail at the same time. It's something they've cultivated over the past few months. Hakyeon usually sleeps in on Sundays.

  


"How did you guys meet?" Sanghyuk slouches against the tiny lockers.

  


"Hmm?" Taekwoon frowns looking down at one of the envelopes and turns it over. He shrugs and pockets it along with the rest. "I'm sorry. I wasn't listening,"

  


Sanghyuk smiles. "That's alright. I wanted to know how you guys met, if you don't mind sharing,"

  


Taekwoon laughs. "That's actually a funny story. He was still one of the junior associates in his firm and he was on the team that accused me of taking estrogen shots hired by one of my jealous colleagues," 

  


Sanghyuk frowns. "That's a very rude accusation," 

  


Taekwoon shrugs. "It is, but I met Hakyeon through that accusation, so I let it go. It was bad, at first. But that colleague is now having a restraining order and a charge for defamation on his head. And I'm good,"

  


Sanghyuk still frowns.

  


Taekwoon laughs and leans in to ruffle his hair. "Hakyeon was a little bitchy back then. He had hated that man and had not wanted to work with him, but he was forced to because that man was a pretty big deal back in the day so their firm couldn't say no. He always made sure to be very passive aggressive to that man,"

  


"I don't know if that story is romantic or not," Sanghyuk comments.

  


"I'd say it's pretty romantic. Hakyeon actually made it a point to ask me out in front of that man just as he lost the case in court and kissed me there, too. It was like a slap in the face for all his homophobia,"

  


"You sound like you had fun," Sanghyuk grumbles. 

  


"I sure did. Hakyeon has a flair for the dramatic. I find that extremely attractive," Taekwoon smiles softly.

  


Sanghyuk can't help smiling when Taekwoon looks so soft. "You're very lucky,"

  


"That I am,"

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Hakyeon flattens the creases on his lilac dress shirt and runs his hands over the waist coat he's donned. He turns around to catch a glimpse of his backside and decides the trousers fit perfectly. He feels fancy enough to slip the vintage pocket watch Taekwoon had once gifted him because, and he quotes, "you will fit right into your period costumes with this, sort of like Sherlock Holmes," and pockets his wallet.

  


He glances at the time and nods once, turning sharply on his heels and locking the apartment's door before ringing the doorbell to Sanghyuk's home. 

  


The door opens almost immediately and Hakyeon feels his eyes widen slightly. Sanghyuk is dressed in equally fancy slate gray trousers and a billowy black shirt that he's absolutely taken aback by, seeing as Sanghyuk is not a small man. He grins, "I'm amazed to see you own something other than your ratty hoodies," 

  


"Shut up," Sanghyuk scowls and shuts his door, leading the way towards the elevators. "I'm not surprised in the least that you own waistcoats," 

  


Hakyeon shrugs as he steps into the elevator. "You're just jealous of my style," 

  


"Keep telling yourself that," Sanghyuk mutters and resolutely looks away as if to not stare. 

  


Hakyeon laughs when he notices the smart blush on his cheeks. "You're so cute, Sanghyuk," and leans over to pat him on the cheek. Honestly, he wonders how he hasn't noticed just how endearing Sanghyuk is earlier and he abruptly realises why Taekwoon seems so smitten. 

  


Sanghyuk's eyes widen and his hand flies to touch his cheek gently, his lips parted in surprise. "Just go get your car," he mumbles.

  


Hakyeon shoots him an amused look and shakes his head as he unlocks his car and shifts it into gear. "Get in," he calls when he finds Sanghyuk waiting on the pavement outside the garage of the building.

  


Sanghyuk clicks his seat belt in and comments after a while, "I honestly thought you'd own a Porsche or something," 

  


Hakyeon's eyes sparkle. "Why, Sanghyuk, a Toyota doesn't cater to your expensive tastes?" 

  


Sanghyuk rolls his eyes. "As if you have anything but expensive tastes. Your home looks like something from a catalogue in one of those magazines, and your daily wear obviously isn't cheap," 

  


"So you've noticed what I wear on a daily basis?" Hakyeon turns his attention away from the road to watch Sanghyuk become progressively red in the face and laughs as he returns to driving. He is surprised to find himself having so much fun teasing him.

  


"Oh my God," Sanghyuk buries his face in his hands and groans. "It's your fault for wearing such fitting clothes," and freezes when he realises what has just slipped out of his mouth and promptly rolls down the window. "I'm going to throw myself out of your car if you don't stop looking at me like that," 

  


"That would be terrible," Hakyeon 

chuckles and rolls up the window. "I rather like your company, you see. My poor reputation will take a hit," 

  


Sanghyuk slumps into his seat and watches the traffic instead. "I hate you," 

  


"Sure you do," Hakyeon nods and drives in comfortable silence the rest of the way. A large marble white building looms ahead quickly, and he manoeuvres the car into one of the empty parking spaces outside the theater and halts the engine. He unclasps his seat belt and turns to Sanghyuk. "Ready?"

  


Sanghyuk nods and steps out of the car. He has never been to formal events and it's a bit nerve wrecking, to be honest. 

  


"Stop fidgeting," Hakyeon comments as he watches him fiddle with the cuffs of his shirt and hesitates before steeling his resolve to take Sanghyuk's hand in his and walks towards the entrance. If he suddenly feels hot, he blames it on the sultry heat outside. 

  


"Should I have brought something with me?" Sanghyuk asks, suddenly coming to a stop. He cannot help but run a hand through his hair in frustration. 

  


Hakyeon clicks his tongue disapprovingly and reaches over to push Sanghyuk's hair neatly away from his forehead and only realises just how intimate the gesture is when Sanghyuk makes a strange noise at the back of his throat. He pulls back immediately and lets his hand fall to his thigh. "Sorry, you'd messed up your hair," his voice sounds strangled even to himself.

  


Sanghyuk shakes his head mutely. He takes a few breaths and shakes his head once again. "You didn't answer my question," he points out in a desperate attempt to clear the weird tension in the air.

  


Hakyeon relaxes minutely. He'd been worried he'd gone too far. "No, do you see me carrying anything?" 

  


"You're his boyfriend," Sanghyuk deadpans. "You're not obligated to bring him anything at all," 

  


"And you're his guest," Hakyeon shrugs and holds out his arm. "Shall we?" 

  


Sanghyuk hesitates only momentarily before looping his arm through Hakyeon's and they walk in to the theater. 

  


The theater for the musical is lavishly designed. Crystal chandeliers sparkle above their heads and satiny floor to ceiling drapes in deep burgundy are neatly pleated along the large windows. 

  


Hakyeon has been there enough times to know exactly where to go and loops around the plush velvet seats towards the balcony viewing reserved for families of the crew and certain important spectators.

  


He watches Sanghyuk from the corner of his eyes and finds him look absolutely intimidated in the space and sighs.

  


"You're not going to run away before the show, are you?" Hakyeon locates their seats and deposits him into one of the chairs.

  


Sanghyuk startles. "Are you sure I'm welcome here?" His hands grip the hand rests on either side. "I feel out of place,"

  


Hakyeon understands. He felt the same for a long time when he started dating Taekwoon and it took him an argument or three about how he wasn't even trying to pretend to like Taekwoon's work that he decided to actively try and work towards becoming comfortable.

  


Before Hakyeon can reply, a hand lands on his shoulder and he turns to find Taekwoon beaming at him.

  


"You made it," Taekwoon leans in to press a kiss to Hakyeon's lips just barely and smiles happily.

  


"Of course," Hakyeon replies warmly. "Wouldn't be anywhere else, love,"

  


Taekwoon turns to Sanghyuk and reaches over to kiss him on the cheek. "Hello, Sanghyuk. I'm glad you decided to come. It means a lot to me,"

  


Sanghyuk gulps nervously and closes his eyes. "Hi," he croaks and bites his lip. "I'm actually wondering if I should have come,"

  


Taekwoon's smile falters. "Is it too much? I know Hakyeon used to find it very intimidating in the beginning, too," 

  


Hakyeon feels his heart melt. He reaches over to intertwine his fingers with Taekwoon's and pulls him close. "Shouldn't you be getting dressed and not worrying about insignificant things right now? Go on, we'll meet you after the program, won't we Sanghyuk?"

  


Sanghyuk nods, "Of course," 

  


Taekwoon smiles slightly. "Wish me luck," and he disappears behind one of the curtains.

  


Hakyeon settles into his seat and leans over to Sanghyuk and holds his hand out. When Sanghyuk takes it, Hakyeon squeezes his hand and mutters, "Sometimes, when you really like somebody, you'll try to like things you might not have liked earlier. For them," 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


Sanghyuk paces the length of his bedroom with three of his fingertips digging into his forehead and his other hand lying across his stomach. He's beyond confused and he doesn't even what makes him more confused. 

  


It has to be borderline flirting in the least, the way Hakyeon carelessly held his hand multiple times during the evening and the way he leaned into Sanghyuk when he laughed so brilliantly at his weak remarks he made only to distract himself. And why did he have to set his hair for him? Sanghyuk hadn't asked, for God's sake. 

  


And what is he to think of Taekwoon's kiss? His cheek still burns and tingles every time the memory resurfaces and all he can do is bury his face in his hands and try to ignore the way his heart flutters. He absolutely does not think of the way Taekwoon kissed Hakyeon's lips with his before kissing Sanghyuk's cheek because that is going to do zilch to his mental wellbeing. 

  


He falls face first into his bed and buries his face in the pillows. He blindly reaches over for his minion plush toy and holds it close. 

  


The more he thinks back to the evening, the more he remembers the mind boggling gestures the two of his neighbours made over the course of even dinner — which they didn't let him pay for regardless of his persistence — and his blood begins to boil in anger. 

  


He grapples for his phone, wanting to shoot a quick text or a hundred relaying his skepticism when he realises he's never actually asked either of them for their contact numbers and promptly gets more angry at himself. 

  


He pushes himself off his bed and throws a careless glance at the wall clock and decides to go disturb them even if it's well past midnight. He isn't going to be able to sleep anyway. 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


"I think I'd like to date Sanghyuk," 

  


Taekwoon glances up so quickly from where he's half lying on the couch and half on the armrest to look at Hakyeon standing calmly next to the bookshelf and picking out a copy of his favourite Bernard Werber novel, the muscle in Taekwoon's neck almost catches painfully. "What?" 

  


"I said I'd like to take Sanghyuk on a date. I like him," Hakyeon shrugs and settles down into the single sofa. "Wasn't dinner with him pleasant?"

  


"Is this," Taekwoon begins slowly, wondering how in the hell it has come to this. "Is this because of me?" 

  


Hakyeon considers the question. "Well, only sort of," 

  


Taekwoon sits up properly and takes Hakyeon's hands in his. "Hakyeon, you do remember what I said?" 

  


Hakyeon sighs and puts the book away. "I genuinely like Sanghyuk, Taek. And I'm not saying it lightly. I've taken the time to get to know him over the past few weeks and he's honestly, an amazing person," 

  


"But?" Taekwoon prompts because he knows that cannot be it.

  


"I admit I only started actively getting to know him after, you know," Hakyeon nods, "but the feelings I have are my own and not influenced by yours. But, I will only ask him out if you're comfortable with it," 

  


Taekwoon watches his closely and finds him earnest and honest enough that he sighs. "You know, after you told me about polyamory, I looked it up," 

  


"Yeah?"

  


Taekwoon hums. "If you really are willing to try, and only if you're comfortable with it and are aware that my feelings for you will never change, then I might like to give it a go," 

  


Hakyeon beams and leans forward to kiss Taekwoon softly. "I'd love that. But of course, only if Sanghyuk is willing," 

  


"I love you, you know? I couldn't have asked to fall in love with a better man," Taekwoon smiles. 

  


"Not even Sanghyuk?" Hakyeon raises his eyebrows suggestively and wiggles them, his tongue sticking out and laughs when Taekwoon hits his arm. "Wanna head in?" 

  


Taekwoon nods and just about pulls Hakyeon up from the couch when the doorbell rings sharply in the otherwise silent night and he frowns. "Who could it be?" 

  


Hakyeon shrugs and walks over to look through the peephole. "It's Sanghyuk," he frowns as well and unlocks the door. "Sanghyuk," he greets with a smile but it drops when he takes in his expression. "Is something wrong?" 

  


Sanghyuk clenches his fists and steps into the house, closing the door behind him. "What is wrong with the two of you?" 

  


Taekwoon is taken aback. "What do you mean?" 

  


Sanghyuk points an accusing finger at the two of them and waggles it. "The two of you have been dating for a long time now," 

  


Hakyeon frowns. "Yeah," 

  


"And you love each other very much. Don't even bother disagreeing. I've seen the two of you together and I know you do. The way you look at each other is enough to tell," Sanghyuk continues. 

  


Taekwoon finds himself bewildered. "We won't disagree," 

  


"Then why?" Sanghyuk throws his hands up in the air in frustration. 

  


"What do you mean, why?" 

  


"Why are you flirting with me? Do you think it's okay to play with my feelings for you?" Sanghyuk demands, his voice rising higher with every word. "I thought you were nice people," 

  


Understanding dawns in Hakyeon and he moves forward silently, hoping to calm Sanghyuk down, but before he can place a hand on his shoulder, Sanghyuk screeches, "Don't touch me," 

  


Hakyeon startles and his hand drops guiltily. "I'm sorry," he ignores the hurt that flares up. Sanghyuk is more important, after all.

  


Taekwoon sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Will you sit down, Sanghyuk? We can talk," 

  


Sanghyuk contemplates and then drops into one of the single sofas and props his legs up. "Start," he gestures with a wave of his hand. 

  


"Have we made you confused?" Taekwoon tries softly.

  


"Confused?" Sanghyuk barks out a laugh. "You've been playing with me," he accuses. 

  


"That's not true," Hakyeon voices quietly, perching on the armrest of the couch. 

  


"That's a lie," Sanghyuk shakes his head. 

  


"No," Hakyeon repeats. "Can I ask you a question, Sanghyuk?" 

  


He shoots a glare at him, but nods. 

  


"When you said we're playing with your feelings," Hakyeon begins, clutching his hands together. "Did you mean your feelings for the both of us?"

  


Sanghyuk looks up, his eyes wide. He gulps and decides to fuck it if it has come to this anyway. "Yes," 

  


Taekwoon sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh my God," 

  


Hakyeon glares at Taekwoon before turning back to Sanghyuk. "What will you say if we tell you we reciprocate your feelings?" 

  


Sanghyuk laughs incredulously. "That you're still playing with me and I don't appreciate it,"

  


"We're not playing with you," Taekwoon says, his heart beating rapidly in his chest and a sense of hope beginning to creep in. 

  


Sanghyuk freezes. "I don't understand," 

  


"Do you remember when I told you I'd like for us to go on a date?" Hakyeon asks, ignoring the absolutely scandalised look Taekwoon sends him.

  


Sanghyuk nods. "Of course I do," 

  


"I'd written that note to you after I realised Taekwoon really liked you romantically and I wanted to try to get to know you as well. Remember when I told you I was afraid he would leave? That was when I already knew he liked you and I was angry at myself," Hakyeon replies. 

  


"And now?" Sanghyuk chokes out.

  


"And now," Hakyeon shrugs, "I like you just as much and if you're willing, I'd like for all three of us to go on a date," 

  


"Really?" Sanghyuk sounds incredulous, still.

  


"But there is no pressure on you. If you want to say no, we'll accept it. If you want to give it a chance, we'll accept that as well," 

  


"Wait," Taekwoon frowns. "You asked him on a date before even telling me and before I did?" 

  


Hakyeon sighs. "Really, not now Taekwoon. I only told him I'd like to take him out and I specifically told him I'd only do it after I spoke to you about it," 

  


"So you guys really want to date me? Both of you?" Sanghyuk puts up a palm.

  


"Yeah," Taekwoon and Hakyeon nod together. 

  


"I need some time to think," Sanghyuk stands up. 

  


"Of course," Hakyeon nods and sees him to the door. "If you want to just talk, we'll still be here," 

  


"Yeah," Sanghyuk bids them goodnight. 

  


"Hakyeon," Taekwoon pouts. "How could you have betrayed me like that?" 

  


Hakyeon chuckles and pats Taekwoon's bum. "Shoo, I was doing no such thing,"

  


"You're such a strange person," Taekwoon comments as he pulls Hakyeon towards their bedroom. 

  


"Well," Hakyeon pokes him in the ribs. "So are you," 

  
  
  
  
  


↛↚

  
  
  
  
  


_ Dear Taekwoon and Hakyeon  _

_ I know this probably seems a little redundant, considering I got both your phone numbers only recently, but this entire thing started with notes and I couldn't find a better way to end this. _

_ I haven't been able to stop thinking about either of you, and I'm still not entirely sure what makes both of you want to date me at all, but if you're still willing to give this a go, I'm in.  _

_ Fair warning in case this does end up working out, I'm still going to be very insecure at times because of the sheer amount of time the two of you have spent together and will need constant reassurance that I've not been fooling myself into believing something unlikely. And I'm not an extremely romantic person, so you'll have to learn to put up with me.  _

_ If you're comfortable with it all, you know where to find me. _

_ -Sanghyuk _


End file.
